tear down the north omaha coal plant

A climate campaign for an underserved community

problem

Omaha is one of the most segregated cities in the country. North Omaha is home to a predominantly Black community where a coal plant continues to belch pollution across nearby neighborhoods. Despite sustained community pressure, the local utility repeatedly promises (and delays) a meaningful transition away from coal. Long-term effects of pollution are known and felt by residents of North Omaha, but the most harmful part is also the hardest to prove: airborne particulates and heavy metals that are largely invisible.

solution

There remains no clear, shared way to visualize the plant’s reach, no method to show the damage on a community scale. The identity system was built to function as both message and method of measurement. Using pH-sensitive ink, the mark and campaign materials act as a literal litmus test: the red in the color palette becomes visible, then brightly saturated over time as it’s exposed to the plant's pollution.